Jeep JT Goes Full Custom

JON DANIELS . May 29, 2025 . Diesel World

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2023 EcoDiesel Jeep on 30s

If you know Kyle Wardwell, then you’d be familiar with the string of rather gnarly Jeeps he has built over the past couple of years. Solidifying himself as a Jeep guy with taste (rare, we know!). This time though, he went with the EcoDiesel motor that Jeep offers which is the same turbo 3.0 V6 you’d find in the EcoDiesel Ram 1500s. After a few small mods here and there, he met up with us in Orange Beach to get a shoot at one of our favorite places to photograph.

For such a big vehicle, it drives easily, rides nice, and shoots really well. Riding with Kyle to the shoot, the Jeep made all the right noises and sights we come to expect from your typical diesel build. The turbo spool, the dump of coal, the typical tractor grunts and groans, nothing is amiss with this Jeep. Somehow, we managed to be spared the pain of dealing with a million boat launches at the slip and had a stress-free shoot that netted us some awesome pics. The whole Jeep has been painted in High Velocity Yellow, with Prismatic Powder Illusion Pink on the accents, by Jeremy Forrest out of Slidell, LA. EOC Performance did a wonderful job color matching the engine bay to the custom paint all over, as well as installing a great sounding 3” exhaust. Did we mention the whole thing is on airbag suspension? Somehow Accu-Air made an air system that when aired out allows Kyle to stuff the 30×16 KG1 Forged Trickstars on 44 INCH tires all the way to the fenders and then gives him eight inches of lift from there when airing up. Supporting the air setup are some Triangulated Upper rear 4 link kit from Rock Krawler, as well as Elev8 control arms, all powdered of course.

“The vision to reality was the easiest part for me. I saw the vision through.”

It looks insane, and it’s hard to show its size without having another vehicle next to it. It even made the boats going by look small! Now, Kyle isn’t the kind of Jeep guy to have five thousand ducks on the dashboard, but, in a funny twist of fate, he got ducked during our photoshoot; a lovely couple in from out of town in their own jeep loved Kyle’s and to our surprise, they just happened to have a pink party duck on hand! Watching Kyle squirm a little bit brought nothing but joy to our faces, and we had to document it for the article.

The inside is no different than the exterior, everything has been touched. A full DS18 sound system ensures you can blow out anyone’s ear drums, custom Alea Leather bucket seats with matching pink stitching upholstered by Amplified Designs are in every seat, US Speedo Amethyst edition gauges have been swapped in, and everything has been color matched to the High Velocity Yellow. Sitting in this and seeing the various accent lighting come together with the sound system and custom seats makes for a really enjoyable drive that doesn’t compromise on anything.

Overall, Kyle adores this build and told us it is quickly becoming one of his favorites he’s done. He offers some advice for those who want a similar build; “make 100% sure that this is the route you want to go down. It’s a blast for sure!” Thats not to deter anybody, but just a dose of reality that must be given respect as we all know how quickly these builds go from ‘elevated daily’ to ‘full show build.’ Kyle said he would do this time and time again, as he loves to build and is already excited for his next build! You can catch this beast at a handful of shows throughout the year!